Comments on: Living Life Forwards

By: mcd

mcd — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:36:27 +0000

Who knows what would have happened if John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King had not been tragically cut down by “lone nuts”.

Perhaps not all bus accidents are capricious.

By: steven teles

steven teles — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 03:22:55 +0000

Who is Barry? Smart comment!

By: Barry

Barry — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:58:12 +0000

To continue (since the last sentence was starting something which wasn’t finished) –
As a movement builds networks, expertise, connections, etc., it is preparing the ground to take advantage of future opportunities, even though they aren’t known yet. It’s altering the viewpoints of existing organizations to see events in the world in a way more flattering to the goals of the movement, both regularly-occurring and unusual events.

By: Barry

Barry — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:16:05 +0000

IMHO, this post is weak tea. In the other posts, and in the book, Teles points out that the people behind this movement didn’t know what would happen from any specific action. They were willing to try multiple actions, methods, goals, people and organizations, and then throw resources behind those which seemed to work well. And to keep doing that, over the years and the decades, to build upon successes, to build organizations, and to enable those who were sympathetic to found careers in these areas. Two critiques of liberal organizations are that they frequently have a ‘only in my niche’ philosophy, and will only fund on a short-term project basis, as opposed to cooperating with other groups, and keeping people around long enough to build expertise and connections.

By: Deborah

Deborah — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:41:24 +0000

“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” There are few, if any, sillier clichés out there. Remembering, and understanding, the past is a wonderful thing, because it enriches our understanding of human experience and how the world got to be the world that it is. But I cannot for the life of me see how that understand will help me avoid mistakes in the future – or the present (which was the future, up until a moment ago).

Perhaps, if we had remembered about tsunamis as that tribe of islanders did in Malaysia, more people might have run for higher ground and less lives might have been lost.

By: anxiousmodernman

anxiousmodernman — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:36:16 +0000

If your goal is political action of some sort, the study of history is necessary but not sufficient guide to that action. Lining up history's facts and the (possible) causal links between them does not magically reveal the correct "next move" in the political game, but, if time permits, it is certainly a worthwhile exercise. How could it not be? Aren't we better off not being ignorant of the facts of our situation? And the facts of the situations related to our situations? Perhaps the good historian erects a lamp post in the dark alley, so that every now and then even us drunks find our keys, get home safe, and live to fight another day. Unless we're hit by a bus, of course. I believe this slim volume has some good things to say on the subject.

By: PGD

PGD — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:11:37 +0000

Weird essay. This is good history, but history is pointless?

Since all anyone ever knows is the past, then the past better give us at least some guidance as to the future, or else we’re all just a bunch of blind idiots.

By: eric

eric — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:42:35 +0000

do you believe that the study of history has any purpose, then, beyond personal satisfaction? Is there no reason at all to understand, as you say, “how the world got to be the world that it is”?